Category Archives: Skepticism

Q: Will the world end tomorrow?

Posted on December 20, 2012 by The Physicist

Physicist: Probably not. Update to follow. Update (12/22/12): Nope.

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Skepticism | 5 Comments

Q: How much of a direct effect do planets and stars have on us? Is astrology reasonable or plausable?

Posted on November 18, 2012 by The Physicist

Physicist: Of the four forces: gravity, electromagnetism, nuclear-strong, and nuclear-weak, only the first two, gravity and EM, affect things over distances (at least, over distances larger than an atomic nucleus). So, if the planets and stars have any direct influence … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Experiments, Physics, Skepticism | 59 Comments

Q: If energy is neither created nor destroyed, what happens to the energy within our bodies and brains when we die?

Posted on November 8, 2012 by The Physicist

Quick note: If you’re presently grieving, don’t read this. The original question was: If energy is neither created nor destroyed, what happens to the energy within our bodies and brains when we die? I think I understand that the metabolic … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Biology, Physics, Skepticism | 276 Comments

Q: Do you need faith to believe in science?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by The Physicist

Mathematician: This question could mean a few different things, depending on what is meant by the word “faith.” Let’s start with the dictionary definitions. 1. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, -- By the Physicist, Philosophical, Skepticism | 30 Comments

Q: Will the world end in 2012?

Posted on December 31, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: Firstly, happy new year! So, there’s been a lot of hoopla around 2012 doomsday stuff for a while. Maybe not as much fuss as there was over the techno-apocalypse of Y2K, but still. Although there are a variety of … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Paranoia, Probability, Skepticism | 17 Comments

Q: CERN’s faster than light neutrino thing: WTF?

Posted on September 23, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: The story here is that CERN has been generating neutrinos, firing them 730km, to a detector in Gran Sasso, Italy, and those neutrinos have been consistently (so far as their instruments say) arriving 60 ns (0.00000006 seconds) earlier than … Continue reading →